Brakes for bending material such as sheet metal are known. These machines for bending material are large and expensive. Because of their size and weight, they are not easily transported to a job site in the field, for example in a van, and the known machines may be too big and/or expensive for use in a small shop. Thus, when a small sheet metal bending job presents itself in the field or in a small shop, the only option available has been using a vise and a hammer. This is disadvantageous since the hammer distorts the material being bent and it is difficult to obtain a good bend.
Thus, there is a need for a small, inexpensive, relatively lightweight and portable apparatus which can be used for bending sheet metal and other material without distorting the material and while producing precision bends in just a few seconds on a wide range of materials and thicknesses, without use of a hammer.